CAGE SIZE???????

[slkrik00]

I'm curious as of the size specifications are there if any on boas , according to size of the snake . for ex. i currently have 1 boa he is a male bci he's approx. 5 ft or so and the cage he is in is a 40 gallon repti-cage aquarium . i was just curious if that was a suitable envirionment for him right now , he has plent of room to move around and everything .

[PythonTamer]

If you want something 'official' then log onto this website;
www.boa-constrictors.com
Follow the link for 'captive husbandry' and then the link for 'enclosures'. :P  
They give estimates according to the size of the snake and cage length, height and depth ratio for boa constrictors.  The height ratio, however, is very unrealistic...as this matches the length requirements.  It was based on the 'expert opinion' of the 'Federal Department of Agriculture and Forestry' who consulted the "Animal Protection and Captive Husbandry Experts" (whew!) >:(
Their calculations are in 'meters' so let me give you what I've already worked out in 'feet' based on their size/enclosure ratio;  
5 foot boa = a cage of    44"long x 30"wide x 44"height
6 foot boa = a cage of    54"long x 36"wide x 54"height
7 foot boa = a cage of    63"long x 42"wide x 63"height
8 foot boa = a cage of    72"long x 48"wide x 72"height

There you have it! :'(  However, IMO, I doubt that any of these so-called 'experts' have actually kept and bred boas. ;D  Book knowledge doesn't always translate to practical knowledge or common sense. Can you imagine Jeff trying to make Boaphile cages that big?  I think he would go insane!LOL s3.gif
Anyway, that's 'official' for whatever it's worth (not much, heh,heh).  Happy building....
PT  

[slkrik00]

Hey Tamer thanks for the link , and i know what you mean when it comes down to official advise from books . makes you wonder who is the person that makes it official...... :'(

THANKS :-*
RICK

[Doug]

hi,
  I really think in this case bigger is better, My dream is to turn a bedroom into a reptile play room for my boa's  ( over my wifee's dead body ::))  hehe
  I would try to build as large as you can afford my larger boa's the BCC really like to scoot around their cage taking turns in the hides, I amthinking about building a shelf in the cage using two pots as the base..The shelf would be the same size with a wooden shelf over the top..hummm this cage is 6/2/2???
 http://photo.redtailboa.org/albums/my-pets/Guyana_Palace.sized.jpg
   More room to play
  doug


   

[PythonTamer]

Hey Doug,
I always enjoy your pictures of your snakes and their living space. cwm4.gif I know your cage pictured is 6' long, but what are the other dimensions such as width and height? I agree that 'bigger is better', I only wish Jeff would build his boaphile plastics with a little more height ??? I know that a 2' extension/hide box is in the works, but I just can't see having a long 6' cage that's only 11 or so inches high ::) Anyway, that's just my worthless opinion :o
PT

[gibson]

Just rember this good rule of thumb. 1sq foot of floor space per 1ft of snake. That should give your boy enough room to run around